Category Archives: Reflection

For someone like myself who relies greatly upon both written and verbal expression, I have been stopped dead in my tracks this week experiencing the immense power of silence and of the limitation of words. It is humbling because in the desperate struggle to string together sentiment I have been left mute.   But in this experience I was taught a profound lesson. Once I began to let go of my own selfish need of expression, to understand that anything I say would fall short in my intended meaning and perhaps most of all to get beyond my own discomfort of silence, shared emotions and intimate understanding filled the void.   It was a level of communication that couldn’t be reached by putting pen to paper or voice to words.

Life’s lessons often come at seemingly inopportune times. But if we heed them often what feels to be a backward step will prove instead to be a different approach. I have learned that there can be value in silence. That silence is not necessarily the inability to address difficult situations.  Rather when shared with those we love most deeply it is a common ground reached and a level of intimate understanding that has value beyond any utterance.

In a few short months I will be graduating as an Holistic Nutritionist. This coupled with my certification as a Cancer Coach will enable me to step in to the world of Alternative Health Care. While I am very proud of this industry and try to live my life by its standard, there are aspects of it that creep up now and again causing me to take pause in my enthusiasm. This particular subject strikes a chord.

Recently Angelina Jolie was back in the news announcing that she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as a cancer preventative measure. This followed her earlier decision to remove her breasts for the same reason. Whether or not you care to know or agree with her making her private life public is not at issue here. The decision of whether or not to follow her story is yours. The motivation for her telling it is hers. What I wrestle with is the judgment put upon her by those who do become involved in her story. Often the loudest critics are from those in Alternative Health.

I do not know much about her journey but I am confident in saying that both of her surgeries were well thought out, researched and motivated by values and feelings that we are not privy to. I am also confident in saying that her decisions were not easy ones.

Whether or not this would be your decision for prevention is not the issue. There is no right or wrong in such circumstances. There are only gut wrenching decisions to be made following the acquisition and assimilation of knowledge and hours of personal reflection.

Being book wise, patient/client experienced or even faced with a similar circumstance, in my opinion, does not qualify anyone to sit in judgment of her choices.

So what exactly is a Cancer Coach and why did you become one?

I have been asked both of these questions many times. Here are my answers.

The Cancer Coaching program was designed for and by Health Care Professionals to fill a void in cancer prevention, treatment and recovery. I firmly believe that a comprehensive cancer protocol must include a strong nutritional and lifestyle component to be truly effective. Unfortunately as the incidence of cancer diagnoses continues to increase, doctors are becoming overwhelmed and simply cannot give patients the scope of care that is needed to lead their patients through cancer treatment, recovery and prevention. Protocols offered by us to our clients are solidly rooted in evidenced based research and are continually updated to reflect current findings.

There are approximately 1500 cancer coaches certified by Professional Cancer Coaches International Inc. Coaches come from various backgrounds including doctors, nurses and nutritionists.  My background is Nutrition.

So the second question is why am I a Cancer Coach?

I am a Cancer Coach now because I was a cancer patient before. As I incorporated each of them into my own protocol, I understand intimately both conventional and alternative approaches to treatment. And I understand the emotions tied to a cancer diagnosis. I want to be a part of the new direction of cancer care; one that considers the whole person and the whole disease. I believe in hope. I believe that inner strength is limitless and I believe that both are fostered by knowledge and empowerment.

For me this is what a Cancer Coach is. This is what a Cancer Coach does. And this is why I am one of them.

The 4 kids on my Facebook cover are in fact mine. Together with my husband and 2 dogs we are the family Biase. I am proud of my kids. They are intelligent, kind and successful in their endeavours and somehow they have managed to navigate the obstacle course laid out by their parents. Oft declared inept, sometimes embarrassing and always strict beyond any rational parents our kids, despite the odds, grew up.

Anyone who is a parent knows the physical and mental fortitude it takes to raise their children.  Having 4 of them put us at a distinct disadvantage when it came to the art of war within our family dynamic.  We were double-teamed. But we wouldn’t let them defeat us.  We stood shoulder to shoulder when they deployed their ‘divide and conquer’ strategy. When they had us questioning our mental soundness we were resolute in our defence of each other’s sanity and when we were just completely exhausted with trying to keep up with the latest technology, we shut them down. They were admirable adversaries but in the end our teamwork trumped theirs.

As with all families we have had our highs and our lows but we are blessed with more of the former than the latter.  We’ve second guessed decisions and talked for hours to come to others.

And we know that there is more to come.  Our role as mom and dad is a tenured position.

So I say hats off to my children! You have grown in to the type of adults that I would be friends with.

And high five to my husband because the kids are just fine.

Finding that sweet spot in the day for a little me time was once a challenge.

Pundits say I should meditate daily.  While I would love to become a part of this movement, the practice has eluded me. It’s just not happening in my house. There is seldom a quiet moment and when there is I can only think of the imminent interruption.

But no one has any interest in bothering me when I am in the shower.  With acoustics matched only by Carnegie Hall and the Ryman Auditorium, my shower is the perfect stage for belting out Show Tunes and Chart Toppers.  I know in my heart of hearts that I def would get a 4 chair turn around on the Voice after bringing them to their feet with my moving rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Knowing full well that I am heading to Blake’s team, I toy with their emotions before letting this generational talent slip from their grasp. And I play out similar scenarios every day, changing up the songs and lucky coaches to suit my mood.

Sometimes there are days when life is a little less forthcoming with those happy moments that I require.  So each day, instead of rolling the dice I go to my happy place and create one of my own.

Happy Saturday all!